Fearne Cotton has reportedly been left “shell shocked” over the reaction to a cheeky snap of her kissing her new boyfriend.
The Happy Place podcast host, 43, was spotted kissing TV director Elliot Hegarty, 53, while on a night out with friends in London earlier this month, eleven weeks after she announced her split from Jesse - who is the son of Rolling Stones Ronnie Wood - after 10 years of marriage. Fearne, who shares two children, Rex, 11, and Honey, 8, with Jesse, was photographed locking lips with the Rivals TV show director, who also split from his wife in December.According to sources, Jesse was awae of Fearne’s blossoming relationship with Elliot, but friends revealed the TV star was “shell shocked” after the pictures of her clinch with hew new beau were published. One source close to the former couple told MailOnline that Fearne had “irritated” the famous Wood family, with her in-laws reportedly “hopeful that things could be more amicable” following the shock split.
The mother-of-two, who also shared stepchildren Arthur, 21, and Lola, 18, with Jesse, has been left reeling after the pictures of her and Elliot were published, as she had hoped to keep the romance out of the spotlight. One source told MailOnline that Fearne wanted to “share the happy news on social media herself”, while another claimed that the TV presenter wanted to make the new relationship “look a little more tasteful”.
Fans were stunned when Fearne shared news of her and Jesse’s shock split in December, with the social media post coming just days after she revealed she had undergone surgery to remove two tumours from her jaw. “It is with a heavy heart that I let you all know that Jesse and I are ending our marriage. Our priority has been and always will be our children. We please ask that you respect the privacy of our family at this time,” she wrote.
While she has remained quiet on the reasons behind her marriage breakdown, in a recent episode of her Happy Place podcast, Fearne explained to guest Caroline Hirons that she felt “depleted and stressed” in her relationship.“I want to grow and expand myself in many ways but I don't want to feel depleted and stressed out and not be able to be present in my family home, [I want to] have time with my friends, have fun,” she candidly shared.
